


A Window Cleaner's Love

by ladderandsteps



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: CEO, Love at First Sight, M/M, Magical Strike AU, window cleaner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 23:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11588757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladderandsteps/pseuds/ladderandsteps
Summary: For him, it was love at first sight. Unfortunately, before he could catch up to Arthur, Arthur disappeared. Now eleven years later, he meets Arthur again. This time, a glass window separates them, and Alfred is willing to do anything to make Arthur fall in love with him.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by the window cleaner who waved at me during work. It made my day :) 
> 
> Then the gears in my head started to turn and this happened. Hope you like it!

Do you believe in love at first sight?

16-year-old Alfred F. Jones never believed in love at first sight. In English, he would scoff whenever the topic of Romeo and Juliet was brought up, during movies, he would gag whenever he saw a love at first sight scene.

_Really original_.

But on that rainy fourth of July, time froze, as he waited for the signal to cross. He fell in love at first sight as Big Ben began to chime in the background.

Right opposite of him was perhaps a college aged student, no more than 20 or 21 based on appearances alone. He was wearing a plaid button down with a white shirt underneath and khakis. His green eyes glanced at both sides of the road as he began crossing. Although his blond bangs covered most of his forehead, Alfred was sure that the man had thick eyebrows.

Cute.

At that moment, seeing his  _soulmate_  cross the road and walk towards him, Alfred forgot all about his plans of going to the pub with his cousin and father just to taste his first "legal" sip of beer before all his friends in America.

Running across the road, he ignored his cousin and father's protests.

The only feeling that coursed through his mind was the euphoric feeling he had from seeing the green-eyed Brit getting closer and closer. Once he was close enough, he stopped in the middle of the road and caught his breath before cracking a grin for his soulmate. Sure, he was wet and out of breath, but his soulmate wouldn't care, right?

Soulmates love each other unconditionally and are willing to die for each other. At least that is what Romeo and Juliet taught him.

Though, instead of stopping, the Brit passed him without a single glance in his direction.

Shocked…that was the only feeling he had. Well actually, to be perfectly honest, he was thinking a lot of other things, but shocked is a nice and friendly word so let's go with that for now.

How could his soulmate not feel the same feelings as him? Why didn't the other man notice that Alfred's heart was beating so hard? Why did his soulmate not  _blink_  when Alfred stood in front of him with a stupid grin on his face?

Love at first sight should go both ways right? At least, that's how movies and literature always showed it.

"Alfred!" Matthew shouted as he pulled Alfred out of the middle of the busy street. "What are you doing running away! Uncle almost had a heart attack."

Alfred glanced around his surroundings for red plaid, but he was dismayed at not seeing any red in the streets. His soulmate slipped out of his hands in just two minutes.

"Alfred?" Matthew squeezed Alfred's shoulder in concern. When Alfred turned to Matthew, Matthew raised a brow, "What's wrong, Al? Why'd you run off?"

Alfred turned to the streets again, hoping he would find the blond. But when he couldn't spot anyone, he turned to Matthew and forced a smile, "Nothing…let's go for the drinks…" as they crossed the streets, Alfred furtively stole glances back. But it was futile.

Looking back to his sixteenth birthday, Alfred realized that he had mixed feelings about the day. It was the birthday he met the man of his dreams, but it was also the day that he lost the man of his dreams.

Luckily though, he was rich, being the heir of J.W. Corp., he had enough money to go to London as he pleased. Every chance he had, Christmas, Summers, breaks, he went to London and waited at the crosswalk hoping to see the man again.

Though, fate really hated him because he never ended up seeing mystery man again.

In the years that passed, he graduated high school, went to college, went abroad to study in London for a semester (could care less about the classes), went abroad another semester to study in Paris (because Paris is fairly close to London), met a questionable French TA and somehow clicked with the said TA, graduated college, watched his cousin Matthew suck his Prussian (is that a thing?) boyfriend's face, watched Matthew  _marry_  his boyfriend, all while he was single and searching for that soulmate of his.

And now that he was 27 years old, his father began to pressure him to take over the company. Fat chance really. Everyone in his family knew he had no interest of taking anything over until he met mystery man.

But his father's patience was running thin.

11 years of searching was a long time.

"So, mon ami, what are you going to do?" his questionable ex-French TA asked as they downed another round of drinks. "Are you heading back to that horrid excuse of a city?"

Alfred turned to Francis and raised his brow slowly, "Y-yeah, dude. Soulmate has to be there."

Francis snorted as he took another sip of his drink, "If that man was a college aged student, what makes you think he lives in London? He could have been studying in London and then left. 11 years of studying is  _really_  long. Not to mention, you saw him during summer holidays, for all we know, he could have been visiting."

Alfred dropped his head down to the table and mumbled, "Shut up," playing around with his glass, he stared at the warm brown liquid, "This all made sense in my head, alright? I'm thinking destiny will help me again here and he'll be in London at the same time I am. Because destiny is what brought us together on my sixteenth birthday."

As they discussed the topic of London, they suddenly moved towards the topic of British people, and then they strayed into the topic of Arthur Kirkland. The regional manager for the New York branch of J.W. Corp.

Three years ago, the New York branch was underperforming on all levels, until Arthur Kirkland was transferred over there from the Frankfurt branch. Within six months, he showed improvement, and now that three years have passed, the New York branch is the top branch in the world, performing the best on all scores.

His father loved Arthur Kirkland, and if Alfred heard correctly, his father was even offering Arthur a chance to be a part of the Board of Directors for the company as well as a percentage of shares.

As much as his father loved Arthur Kirkland, Alfred despised Arthur Kirkland. Not just Alfred, everyone Alfred knew despised Arthur Kirkland as well.

The man was stuck-up and arrogant. And he was so focused on work. Always work, work, work. Even while Kirkland was rolling in his grave, he would probably be doing work. That man needed to chill.

Seriously, having to go through the past couple of years, hearing, "Be more like Arthur Kirkland!" or "Arthur Kirkland wouldn't have made such a silly mistake, Alfred!" was enough to make him go berserk.

Arthur Kirkland can just shove it.

Alfred rolled his eyes as he sat up straighter, "Don't talk about that jerk. My whole mood is ruined." Picking up his glass, he drank the rest of his beer before asking the bartender for another refill. Thank god for his high tolerance.

"Do you know what Kirkland did to me the other day?" Francis glared at his glass.

"What'd he do this time?"

"Well, my awful day was not as awful, until I stepped into his office…"

Alfred raised his brow in confusion.

* * *

Francis poked his head instead Arthur's private chamber. As usual, Arthur was hiding behind his computer monitor. If Francis didn't notice the steam rising from Arthur's tea, he would've thought Arthur was missing.

"Kirkland?" Francis's nose scrunched in disgust as the vile name left his lips.

"Yes?"

_Bien_ , the  _rosbif_  was here.

Stomping inside, Francis slapped his paycheck on Arthur's desk and demanded, " _Mon Dieu_ , Kirkland, what happened to my paycheck?"

Arthur lazily threw a glance towards him as he continued to type on his keyboard. Ever the diligent man. With a sigh, Arthur picked up Francis's paycheck and stared at the salary amount, "I increased your pay just like you  _begged_  me to, frog."

Francis's brows scrunched together, "I know you increased my hourly rate,  _mais encouler_ , Kirkland, why did my paycheck get smaller?"

Arthur turned his gaze up and smirked, "So you have finally analyzed your paycheck have you, frog? Was wondering when that pea sized brain would take notice." Lifting the paycheck to his nose, he took a deep breath and turned to Francis, "This is the smell of victory."

" _Rosbif,_ what sorcery have you done for me to make $60 less for every paycheck?" Francis glared at Arthur.

With a smirk, Arthur leaned back in his seat, "Simple, actually, so simple I can explain it to your muddy brain. You see, you were very close to the tax bracket. Fifty cents was enough to push you up, so that's what I did." Francis's mouth dropped open. "You received your pay raise, and I received the chance to laugh at your misery."

" _Va te faire foutre_ , Kirkland," Francis snapped as he picked up his paper copy of his paycheck.

Arthur's smirk deepened, "Gladly."

* * *

"That's what happened three weeks ago," Francis mumbled. "I want to slap myself for ever suggesting a pay raise."

Alfred patted Francis's shoulder, "Hey, dude, if you ask for another pay raise, you can only go up from there."

"Knowing Kirkland, he would only agree to it if it hurts me in the end," Francis took another sip of his beer. " _Merde._ After that, I really wanted to get back at him."

"So, let's do it," Alfred pulled out his wallet and slapped his black card on the table. When Francis turned to him in surprise, Alfred nodded his head, "I'm serious. My plane to London doesn't take off for another three days." Turning to Francis, he emphasized, "So, let's do something in these three days which Kirkland will come to cry about."

A grin cracked onto Francis's face and he grabbed onto Alfred's arm in joy, "Is this you speaking, mon ami? You are always so reluctant to do—,"

"Well let's just say Kirkland's presence is pissing me off more and more," Alfred rolled his eyes as he muttered, "My father is so ready to adopt that bastard into the family. He threatened to cut my credit cards so I would learn how to be money conservative like  _Arthur_."

"So, what plan do you have?" Francis frowned.

"Other than firing him when I become CEO?" he rolled his eyes. "You know him better than me, what do you have in mind for now?" Alfred frowned as he stuffed his black card back into his wallet.

* * *

Their plan was quite simple.

Arthur loved to stare out the window as he drunk his tea. He was royally pissed off whenever he couldn't see the skyline, so targeting his window would be key.

It would be hard to execute, but using the window cleaning platform, he was ready to use graffiti to cover Arthur's view of the New York City skyline. The graffiti would contain colorful swears and expletives.

It'll be enough to ruin Arthur's mood for the week.

Once the platform was lowered to the eighty second floor, Alfred went crazy. Since the blinds were currently closed, no one would ever know it was him. Even if people did find out, though, he still didn't give a damn. He was the CEO's son. This was technically his building so he could do whatever he wanted with it.

As long as his soulmate doesn't hear of his delinquencies, he was fine.

As he finished with the phrase, "Fuck you," the blinds suddenly opened. Alfred turned to the side to get a glimpse of the "great" Arthur Kirkland.

Over the years, he only heard about the man, but was never really interested in finding out how Kirkland looked like. Why would he need to? The old man was probably stuffy, old, wrinkly, and creepy.

But he was genuinely surprised to see the same shade of green—the shade of green when the morning grass is covered in dew—staring through the blinds. Alfred leaned in slightly closer. Arthur's full lips touched the rim of his cup, and Alfred frowned.

Same eyes and same lips…

There was only one way to know if this was his soulmate. Taking a step closer, Alfred leaned down and dropped his graffiti bottle in surprise when he saw Arthur's thick brows.

This was it!

This was the man he had been searching for, for the past  _eleven_  years.

Arthur snapped his head over towards him with a glare as his fingers played around with the blinds.

Now they were separated by just glass.

Arthur's green eyes trained on him for a brief second before the teacup in his hands dropped to the ground.

Alfred grinned. This. This was the feeling he had on that day when he saw Arthur for the first time. The feeling of love and confusion and shock! Leaning towards the glass, his heart began to pulsed erratically as Arthur rushed towards him.

Oh baby, he was going to take his soulmate out today!

As he opened his mouth, Arthur rushed past him.

Again.

Turning around, he frowned when Arthur's wide eyes took in the graffiti.

_Oh shit…the graffiti…_

Once Alfred came into Arthur's view, Arthur's gaze darkened. Putting his hands up in surrender, he was really glad he dropped the stupid graffiti bottle. Couldn't have his soulmate think he was a delinquent so early in their relationship.

Glancing around the platform, he wanted to hug someone when he saw the bucket of soapy water and roller. Picking it up, he pointed to the roller and began to roll it up and down the window.

Once Arthur saw that the paint was coming off, he relaxed. Once Alfred rolled the roller to the bottom, he almost took a step back when he saw Arthur standing right in front of him.

Arthur's lips started to move as Alfred raised a brow. Those lips were so perfect. If only they could move like that while they were engaged in a great kissing session.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur's lips moved a bit slower as he emphasized whatever words he was saying. Shaking his head, Alfred shrugged his shoulders. With a sigh, Arthur disappeared and returned with a paper. Holding it up, Alfred read the words and grinned.

_Thank you._

Arthur nodded his head once with the faintest of smiles before closing the blinds.

Once he could no longer see Arthur, he fell against the window while running his fingers through his hair. Eleven years he had been waiting for the moment he would meet his love, and here he was. He glanced up at the sky and enjoyed the feeling of the sun's rays hitting him as the clouds passed.

_Thank you._

A grin found itself back to Alfred's lips as he jumped up for joy.

Destiny was back on his side, baby.

Though, in his happiness, he forgot that he was on the window cleaner's platform. As he landed, the platform shook violently. Grabbing onto the rails, he quickly muttered prayers to every deity he knew.

He couldn't die now that his soulmate was within his grasp.

Destiny was being nice to him after eleven years, he couldn't screw it up by letting Arthur slip right through his fingers.

Turning back to the window, he grinned, "You're mine, Arthur Kirkland."

* * *

" _Quoi!_   _Non!_ " Francis called out with his eyes getting wider by the second. "You cannot just fall in love with the devil's love child. Are you sure he's even your soulmate? You must be delusional after waiting for eleven years. Because someone like  _rosbif_  doesn't have a romantic bone."

Alfred stared off into space as he already started to envision his future with Arthur. They would live in a comfortable house with a white picket fence. Have two children and two cats and maybe a pet iguana because who doesn't like iguanas? They would both drop off Alfred Jr. and Arthur Jr to school, and then they would share a kiss before going to their respective work spaces.

It was a great future.

Now that he thought about it, he was super thrilled that Arthur was ruling his company with an iron fist. After they married, he could be completely sure that Arthur could handle business. They would be so wealthy, their great times ten thousandth grandchild would be rolling in cash.

"He's my soulmate," Alfred mentioned with a silly grin. "But can you believe it, Francis? I've been looking for him for the past few years in London, but he was in New York for the past three years." Turning to Francis, he beamed, "And Dad  _loves_  Arthur! I just  _know_  he'll be a perfect addition to the family. And he doesn't even need to be adopted into the family!"

"Great," Francis mentioned in monotone. His fingers wrapped around the glass he was holding until his fingers became a deathly pale white, "Should've never given you extra points in the class if I knew you were going to let me down so easily."

"Oh, come on," Alfred swung his arm around Francis, "Be happy for me. Didn't you say we would toast the day I found my soulmate."

"This is before I knew it was Kirkland," Francis spat.

"Chill Francis," Alfred rolled his eyes as he slipped out of his seat and went around the counter, "I'm pretty sure once you think about it, you'll love the fact that my soulmate is Arthur. He's perfect in every way."

Francis muttered something under his breath which Alfred chose to dutifully ignore. Francis will come around eventually. Arthur falling in love with Alfred was a great idea.

As he opened his cabinet, he already imagined how his next meeting with Arthur would go.

* * *

This time, since he knew that it was the man he loved on the other side, he came prepared. Instead of wearing his usual clothes, he decided to wear the same dark blue jumpsuit the window cleaners wore. He had spoken with the manager of the cleaning company, and the manager reluctantly agreed to lend him some of the jumpsuits, saying he doesn't do this normally, but because this was a special circumstance, he was willing to let it slide.

Well damn right this was a special circumstance. Alfred's love life is at stake here.

And, if he was going to woo Arthur, he might as well have some fun.

At exactly 9:15 a.m., Arthur opened his blinds. In his hands was a light blue tea cup. Perfect. Light blue must be Arthur's favorite color. Alfred decided olive green would be his favorite color from now on. They both loved each other's eye color. It would be a story they would tell their children in the future.

Instead of turning to look over at him, Arthur continued to stare in front of him, at his oh so  _precious_  skyline.

Frowning, Alfred knocked on the glass softly.

Because, dude, he was more precious than any skyline.

Turning to him, Arthur raised a brow in annoyance.

Waving with a silly grin, Alfred suddenly started to feel all shy. Normally he wasn't like this, but something about Arthur just brought out this silly, teen boy side of him. Must be those cute little eyebrows of his.

With a roll of his eyes, Arthur shook his head as he turned back to the skyline.

He knocked on the glass again and Arthur turned back to him, with his annoyance being much more apparent. Alfred waved again, and Arthur scoffed. When Alfred waved once more, Arthur's brow twitched as he slowly raised it and moved his hand sharply to form an awkward wave.

Well…they would both work on his waves later…

Walking over to where Arthur stood directly, he pulled out the bottle of shaving cream. Arthur stared at the bottle of shaving cream before turning to Alfred with a murdering expression. Quickly smearing the foam on the window, because he could tell Arthur was royally pissed at this point, he made sure the patch of foam was large enough. With a grin, Alfred traced out, "I 3 U" in the foam.

When Arthur's olive green eyes met up with his, Alfred winked and blew a kiss.

Arthur's eyebrows came together in frustration and a second later the blinds closed.

With a slow whistle, Alfred nodded his head, "We're going to have to do something about these pesky blinds."


	2. Part 2

Arthur Kirkland reveled in the fact that others were absolutely terrified of him. Before he came, he had heard a lot about the lazy New York branch. He actually wasn't too surprised, actually. He knew the frog was transferred there, so of course he was spreading his laziness to all the other employees.

The first thing he accomplished while at the New York branch was to evoke terror in the other employees. If they feared him, they would be productive every time he walked past them. So, that he did, every day, at 9:00, 1:00, and 3:00, he would go down one floor where all his employees were and brew himself a cup of tea. As his tea brewed, he would train his eyes on his employees.

His stare was enough to make even the most feared villain cower.

3 times, he was pulled over for speeding, but as he glared at the officer, the officer would slowly back away and give him a friendly reminder to go within the speeding limits next time.

Seriously, he could probably get away with murder as long as he glared at the judges and prosecutors.

But no matter how much he stared or glared at the moronic window cleaner, the window cleaner never took the hint. Always giving him those stupid smiles and blatant love messages.

Closing the blinds was enough to make that idiot stop before, but recently management took away everyone's blinds because the CEO declared that there should be more natural light in the office. Helps with Vitamin D or some other shit.

After that, the swine of a human being just stared at him for hours. Luckily, he was small enough to be able to hide behind his computer monitor, but ridiculous management decided to change his monitor so he received a newer, sleeker, and smaller edition.

They said it was faster, he said it would be problematic.

The new monitor was enough for that miserable twit to stare at him with no reservations, and now even Arthur had a perfect view of the insufferable lad.

So, he put in a work request. Instead of facing the window, he asked facilities to change the orientation of his desk so he was facing the wall instead. Now, even if that twerp was there, he wouldn't know.

But shortly after he changed the orientation of his desk, he heard non-stop tapping. When he bought himself from ear plugs, the tapping only grew louder.

The rhythmic tapping was so consistent that he was tapping the same beat while he went out with his friends. His good friend, Kiku, paused from taking his drinks before asking, "Why are you tapping out 'I love you' in Morse code?"

After that, he made a call to the window cleaning company to change the stupid cleaner. Because enough was enough. But they claimed that they didn't have any employees with a purple streak and a purple star tattoo.

After that call, he knew exactly who was behind the arse of a window cleaner.

"Who the hell is that bastard?" Arthur shouted as he stormed into Francis's private office.

Francis glanced up from his monitor in slight shock, "Which bastard are you talking about? The one who broke the copier? Or the one who accidentally knocked your kettle off the counter."

Arthur paused for a moment, "Who's the bastard that knocked down my kettle?"

Francis grinned, "That would be me, but I had nothing to do with the copier."

"I'll deal with the kettle later, but you! The window cleaner," Arthur narrowed his eyes. "This whole scheme smells of you, frog. Get rid of that window cleaner or I'll have no other choice but to terminate you from the job."

Francis began to chuckle, "I have no idea what you're speaking of Arthur." Honesty was apparent in his purple eyes, " _Serieusement_ , Arthur."

He took a step back. He was so sure it was the frog's doing. But based on the expression the frog was giving him, he knew that it couldn't be the frog. But who could it possibly be if it wasn't Francis?

" _Cependant, tu sais que je kiffe t'ennuyer_ ," Francis muttered underneath his breath.

Arthur snapped his head towards Francis. Luckily, he took French as a secondary language in school, "So, it is you."

Francis held his hands up, "I didn't say that it was me. I just said I love to annoy you."

Arthur ran his fingers through his messy hair, in frustration. These past few days, he was getting so disorganized. Instead of thinking about work, the stupid window cleaner started to enter his thoughts. He even stopped drinking tea because he couldn't function anymore. And watching the skyline was out of the question since he would run into that window cleaning git.

Taking a slow step towards Francis, Arthur reached for Francis's hand and held it gingerly, "Francis, please do whatever you can to get rid of that window cleaner." He used the word sparingly while on the job. When Francis tried to move back, Arthur grabbed the seat's handles and kept Francis rooted in place, "Seriously, I'll give you a $10,000 pay raise." When Francis frowned, Arthur quickly clarified, "I am not joking. This will actually increase your paycheck."

Francis's eyes brightened for a minute, and Arthur could already see his life getting brighter. Without the window cleaning pest, he could get some actual work done. No more tapping out Morse code, no more 'I love you messages', no more shaving cream on his window.

Then suddenly, Francis's eyes darkened as he leaned back into his seat, "Though, I don't know why I should help you since you've always insulted me by calling me  _frog._ "

Arthur blinked as he chuckled, slightly maniacally at this point. Shaking his head, Arthur used his sweet voice, "Dear Francis, I was  _never_  insulting you by calling you frog—,"

"I beg to differ," he said with monotone.

"Have you ever read fairytales or watched Disney? The  _Frog Prince_? I was complimenting you for being a prince in disguise," Arthur gulped as he forced the words to come out of his mouth. He would need a new insult for the frog after this whole situation blows out.

Francis smirked with happiness as he jumped out of his seat, "Alright, mon ami, let's go see this troublesome window cleaner and set him straight."

Arthur's eyes widened, "Really?" he let out a laugh of surprise, "You would do that for me?"

"Of course, we're friends, now aren't we?" Francis gave him a quick side hug.

As they went up the floor, Arthur turned to Francis, "I don't care what you do Francis, just get rid of that cockroach and the $10,000 bonus is yours."

Francis nodded his head with a grin.

As they stepped into Arthur's office, Francis noticed the window cleaner and frowned. Turning to Arthur, he muttered, "Do you have blank papers and a pen I can write on?"

"Why?" he asked slowly.

"To write a warning for this window cleaner, Arthur," Francis rolled his eyes.

Arthur nodded his head quickly as he ran—yes desperate times call for desperate measures—and brought a stack of white paper as well as five pens, just in case any of them have ran dry. Handing it over to Francis, he crossed his arms and glared at the window cleaner who was now flummoxed.

"AREN'T YOU ASHAMED?" Francis announced what he wrote, and Arthur nodded his head in approval. Window cleaner was now frowning which meant calling Francis was a good idea. He honestly should have been friends with the frog a long time ago. "ANNOYING A REGIONAL MANAGER USING SUCH RIDICULOUS PLOYS."

Francis flipped the page and quickly scribbled something down, "SERIOUSLY, IF YOU WANT TO ANNOY HIM, SERANADE HIM WITH LOVE SONGS. THE WHOLE BUILDING NEEDS TO HEAR—,"

Arthur's eyes widened as he smacked Francis on the cheek, "What the hell, Bonnefoy!" He turned to the window cleaner and saw that he had an amused expression. "You were supposed to stop him not give him bloody ideas!"

Francis smirked, " _Rosbif_ , I would gladly take a pay cut if it means annoying you," with a slight skip, he waved another piece of paper, "ARTHUR KIRKLAND LOVES YOU, TOO, WINDOW BABE!"

"You're getting a pay cut, Bonnefoy," Arthur seethed as he pounded on his desk.

"Gladly," Francis skipped to the door, "At least I'll get those sixty dollars back!" Raising his arms, he let out a whoop, "How do those Americans say it? Ah oui, BEST DAY EVER!"

The next day, when the window cleaner made his appearance, he brought along his guitar and sang, in a pretty awful voice, love songs. It was the first time in his life he missed a deadline. As the window cleaner continued to sing and play the guitar, Arthur made up his mind.

Bonnefoy was useless. Just as the rest of his company.

Picking up the piece of paper, he scribbled down, "Meet me at the café down the street tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. sharp, no later."

* * *

For this meeting, Alfred checked his watch at least a dozen times. He certainly did not want to be late, especially since Arthur was willing to give him some time. Checking himself in his rearview mirror, he grinned.

He decided to go casual for this meeting. A white button down shirt with khaki pants. He even wore his lucky bomber jacket. It was perfect. Not too over dressed and not too under dressed.

As he stepped into the small café, he glanced around for an open table. His little Arthur would be so impressed with him for coming to the café first. But, his blue eyes stopped on a mop of messy blond hair. Frowning, he walked over to the man and pouted, "Thirty minutes early? I thought you said 10?"

Arthur turned to his direction and sighed as he folded the newspaper, "So you made it after all."

Alfred slid into his seat, "Of course I would make it. This is our first date."

Arthur sat up straighter and began to sputter, "Excuse me? You're delusional if you think this is a date!" After a moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Composed Arthur came back as he leaned closer, "What do you exactly want from me you blithering wanker?" he seethed.

Alfred let out a slow laugh as he became comfortable in his seat, "Do you believe in love at first sight." He picked up the paper napkin that was on the table and pulled out a pen.

"Love at first sight?" Arthur snorted. "So, you are trying to explain to me that you fell in love with me after seeing me through that window."

Alfred shook his head slowly as he went back to the memories of eleven years ago, by Big Ben, "No, truthfully, I saw you eleven years ago, crossing the street near the London Bridge. It was raining on that day, but I could've sworn that the sun was out. It wasn't until Big Ben chime did I realize you were as mesmerizing as the sun," Alfred grinned as he drew out a heart on the napkin.

Arthur stared at him for a second before narrowing his eyes, "Charming story, did Francis put you up to this?"

Alfred shook his head as he pushed the napkin towards Arthur, "Even if Francis put me up to this, I wouldn't have continued for these many days. I  _really_  do love you," Alfred showed off his dimples.

Arthur glanced at the paper napkin with the heart and ripped it, "So essentially," he drawled. "You were attracted by my physical appearance," taking a deep breath, "You know, there are people out there that look—,"

Alfred's nose wrinkled, "Well, actually, you look below average."

Arthur straightened in his seat, "The hell? Below average?" slapping his hand on the table, he snorted, "I'll have you know that I'm well  _above_  average."

"And that's exactly what I'm trying to say as well," Alfred grinned as he turned to one of the servers. He nodded his head and turned back to a confused Arthur. "You were trying to tell me you weren't nearly as handsome, so I used some reverse psychology to make you admit that you were hella good looking," Alfred winked.

Arthur took a deep breath as he hid his face in his hands, "Dammit," he muttered. Running his fingers in his messy hair, his green eyes snapped towards Alfred, "You must understand how utterly superficial your love is, right? You  _saw_  me in London eleven years ago and magically decided that I was the one for you?" Sitting up straighter, Arthur cleared his throat, "You know absolutely nothing about me, you wanker."

Alfred nodded his head slowly. As of fifteen days ago, it was true. He knew nothing about his sweetheart. But he studied up. Pushing his glasses up, Alfred conceded, "True, I didn't know much about you. But cut me some slack here, it was love at first sight. My heart told me that you were the one for me, so I listened to it." He turned back to the server and snapped his fingers, "Though because I am enamored by you, I put in the effort to learn more about you."

Clearing his throat, he listed all the facts he knew about Arthur, "Your name is Arthur Kirkland, you were born on April 23 in the town of Happisburgh thirty-one years ago. You completed your undergraduate and graduate studies at Oxford. After Oxford, you took a few internships here and there before finally accepting a job at J.W. Corp. in the Frankfurt location. After proving to the CEO that you were a pretty capable guy, you transferred over to the New York branch and were promoted to regional manager, and you have been living here for the past three years."

"Bullshit," Arthur spat out. "Those are probably facts you lifted off the internet, you know nothing—,"

Alfred held up a finger and shook his head, "That's just the beginning. I know how much you love tea," Arthur rolled his eyes, "You drink it exactly five times a day. The first tea you drink is English Breakfast tea, and a few hours after that, you drink Earl Grey. After your afternoon meal, you prefer Darjeeling, and your evening tea flavor is Jasmine tea. Right before you sleep, you like to take chamomile tea."

Arthur stilled in his seat. The first three flavors were understandable. But how did the git know the other two flavors?

The server came over and placed a basket down, as Alfred continued, "And as for snacks, you like orange zest scones," he pulled out an orange scone from the basket, "with exactly one tablespoon of strawberry jam, no more, no less. And when you aren't in the mood for scones, you like to eat some English trifle which is rich with strawberries," he turned to the server and nodded his head as the server walked over with a cup of English trifle filled with strawberries.

Arthur blinked at the foods in front of him. He definitely did not eat any of this in front of the window cleaner.

Meanwhile, Alfred was really glad he informed his father about the matter. Who knew Arthur Kirkland better than his father?

"What will it take for you to leave me alone?" Arthur meekly asked.

"Leave you?" Alfred echoed. "I didn't waste away eleven years of my life just to leave you alone."

Taking a deep breath, Arthur removed his watch and tossed it to Alfred, "Here, I don't know what Francis paid you, but this watch is worth more than what you could possibly make in ten years."

Alfred caught the watch and stared at the diamond studded Rolex watch. It was fancy, he could definitely say for sure. With a grin, he wore it on his wrist. It was the first present he received from his beloved Artie.

"If you know me well, you must know that I care only about my work. I'm flattered that you have wasted the past eleven years of your life for me, but I am not interested," Arthur began to stand up from his seat.

This was not good.

Alfred jumped and quickly asked, "Well then what would make you interested?"

"Nothing," Arthur tersely stated. As he left the café, Alfred followed him out and Arthur turned to him annoyed, "Why doesn't your pea sized brain understand? I'm not interested in you."

"And all I want to know is how you can be interested in me," Alfred pleaded.

As they stopped at the crosswalk, Arthur covered his face from the blazing sun. Alfred shuffled next to him and held the jacket so the sun wasn't a problem for Arthur anymore. When Arthur turned to Alfred, Alfred sighed out, "I didn't do all of this so I could give you up."

 _What would get this git off my back?_  Arthur turned back to the street and quickly walked across the intersection, hoping the window cleaner would leave. But the window cleaner only ran after him holding that jacket up so they were in the shade.

That was when he saw J. W. Corp. Eighty-five floors, it stood proud and tall. Arthur turned to the window cleaner, "Well there is one thing actually."

Window cleaner's blue eyes brightened, "Really? What is it?"

Arthur pointed to the building, "Get a job at J.W. Corp. by tomorrow and I'll  _think_  about dating you."

The window cleaner snorted and shook his head with a laugh, "A job? Artie, dude, you're making it too easy." Turning to Arthur, a glint appeared in his eyes, "What if I become CEO of this company by tomorrow? Will you date me, then?"

Splendid.

Just this morning, he received an email from the current boss, that he was planning on retiring. He would hand the company over to his son Alfred F. Jones. Window cleaner was certainly not Alfred, so the chance of that happening was one in a billion.

"Date?" Arthur scoffed. "I'll  _marry_  you if that happens."

Window cleaner grinned, "Promise?"

"Arthur Kirkland never backs away from anything he says," Arthur snorted before he walked away.

"I'll hold you to your words then, Artie!"

* * *

After giving away his favorite Rolex watch, he had to dig in his collections for another watch. Luckily, he still had the watch he bought with his first paycheck. It was a decent enough watch, and if he dressed in his best suit, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone concentrating on his old watch.

Today would be the day he would be meeting the new CEO of the company. He may have won the heart of Sr. Jones, but Alfred would be a new force to reckon with.

Adjusting his black tie, he strutted to the elevator with a smirk. All the work he had put in for the past few years were finally paying off. And if he was able to convince the new CEO that he was competent, he would continue to rise up in the ranks.

As he stepped into the elevator, his eyes narrowed as he saw a rambunctious man cross through security. He was dressed in a black suit with a thin black tie. His hair was mussed in a fashionable manner. On his left wrist was an expensive diamond Rolex.

But what made Arthur freeze was when he noticed the purple streak.

Damn window cleaner made it past security.

Pressing the close button on the elevator repeatedly, Arthur prayed for the doors to close before idiot window cleaner made it through the doors. But window cleaner stuck his foot just as the doors were about to close.

When the doors opened again, Arthur sighed in frustration as he turned away.

Window cleaner stepped through with a frown, "Artie, dude, that wasn't cool." Once the doors closed, he had a smirk, "So as a punishment," the window cleaner's hand slammed on the buttons and every floor was selected.

Arthur's eyes widened as he stared at the thirty buttons that were lit up. Luckily, the first fifty floors weren't a part of this elevator. Thirty floors…he could use the stairs or something. Otherwise, he might run late to the meeting with his boss.

"Wanker," he muttered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Becoming CEO!" he winked and gave a chivalrous smile.

Bloody wanker.

Arthur crossed his arms and waited for the elevator to stop on the fifty fifth floor so he could get off and leave.

"You know Artie, you look cute when you're all angry like that." Arthur snapped his head in the window git's direction. Window cleaner reached out and pinched Arthur's cheeks, "Especially your cute little chubby cheeks!" he cooed.

Arthur pushed off the window cleaner's arms and rubbed his sore cheeks, "Bloody wanker. As if you would ever become CEO." He straightened his tie once again. "The next CEO has already been selected. The vote happened on Friday, and even  _I_  voted in favor for him."

Window cleaner grinned and shrugged his shoulders casually, "Maybe if I convince the current CEO, he'll give up his position and hand it over to me."

"And how would you convince him?" he grated out the words.

Window cleaner turned to him and took a few steps closer to Arthur. Arthur stepped back until his back hit the cool metal of the elevator. Window cleaner put an arm at either side of Arthur, "I'll just floor him with our love story?"

"Our love story," Arthur snorted as he echoed those distasteful words. "It's your love story. I don't know anything about you."

Window cleaner blinked and took a small step back, "You don't know anything about me? That's a bit of a problem." Scratching his head, he turned back to Arthur and smiled, "Well, no time like the present to learn about me." He reached forward and pressed the closed button.

"I always set my alarm clock for 7:04 A.M., it's because my birthday is on the fourth of July. And hey!" he snapped his fingers, "Your birthday is on April 23, making you a Taurus. That means we're super compatible in terms of astrology!"

Arthur muttered a few words underneath his breath.

"But anyway, I work out for about an hour before I get ready for my day. Even though they aren't good for my health, I love eating hamburgers in the morning," window cleaner turned to him with an innocent smile. "But don't worry, I won't die anytime soon from cholesterol. I balance my breakfast with different yard salads in the afternoon, and for dinner, I make sure I eat everything on the food pyramid."

He frowned, "Though I'm a coffee lover and hate tea to my guts."

As the doors opened, Arthur saw his chance to escape from the swine and immediately jumped out of the elevator. Quickly running to the stairs, he bolted up the steps, skipping steps even, to go faster. Though window cleaner was much faster than him. Within three minutes, window cleaner caught up to him and grabbed Arthur's arm.

"Just leave me alone!" Arthur shouted irate. Window cleaner's fingers loosened on his elbow and his blue eyes suddenly grew a bit cloudy. He took a step back and started to shrink. Arthur softened. He may be cruel, but he wasn't someone who made others cry, "Look, I have a meeting with my boss. Now's not a good time. Maybe later…"

Window cleaner perked up, "Another date?"

"No," Arthur strictly said. When window cleaner huffed, Arthur sighed, "Just another chance for me to berate you so you'll finally leave me alone. Café again? At five? I should be off work then."

A small smile made its way on window cleaner's face, "I think I can do that." Window cleaner glanced up at him again, "See you later chubby cheeks," he pinched Arthur's cheeks again and quickly kissed his cheeks.

Arthur gasped as window cleaner stepped away. Window cleaner, "Careful Artie, if you look anymore flustered, it'll just tempt me to kiss you more!"

Arthur quickly closed his mouth and snapped his head in the opposite direction, "I'll see you later, wanker. Hopefully for the last time in my life."

As Arthur went up the stairs, he turned to the window cleaner and sported a small smile. No one ever pursued him like this. Back in his school days, he was always the last person to ever get a date to any dance.

It was charming, really. To be pursued by someone who loved him unequivocally. If he wasn't so focused on work, he would've given the window cleaner a chance. Perhaps if the window cleaner was still free in a few more years.

Adjusting his tie once more, he pulled out his phone and saw himself on the screen. He looked acceptable.

Entering into the room slowly, he poked his head inside and smiled when he saw Sr. Jones sitting at the table perusing through a stack of files, "Mr. Jones," he greeted happily.

Over the years, Mr. Jones became a father-like figure.

Mr. Jones stood up and called out, "Arthur! Lovely to see you again!" They hugged for a brief second before both of them took their seats, "Now, as much as I enjoy meeting you after all these months, I came here to discuss some business. As you know, Alfred will start his journey of being the new CEO to the company, and he has selected to remain at the New York branch. Since you have proved your mettle with everything you do, I would like you to guide him during the early days."

Arthur nodded his head, "Of course, sir. He'll be in good hands."

"I'm sure," Mr. Jones grinned as he pulled out his phone. "My son should be coming up any time now. The boy never really learned punctuality," he chuckled before slipping the phone back into his pocket.

Arthur nodded his head as he stared at his fingers. Working with Alfred would probably be good. If Alfred realized how dedicated he was, Arthur would have a much higher chance of getting the promotion he craved for.

The door opened and Arthur snapped his head up.

His eyes widened when he saw the window cleaner strutting into the room. Narrowing his eyes, Arthur shook his head as he motioned for the window cleaner to leave. Window cleaner feigned ignorance and smirked instead as he cleared his throat.

Going over to Mr. Jones, window cleaner wrapped his arms around the man as Arthur shook his head with desperation.

"POPS!" window cleaner yelled out with a laugh.

Mr. Jones turned around and laughed, "You made it in time! I thought you were going to be late again!"

 _Pops_?

"Well, I met someone recently, and they hate it when people are late," window cleaner pouted. "So, I'm trying to fix my ways."

Mr. Jones grinned, "That a boy!" Turning to Arthur, he laughed, "I don't believe you've ever met my son, Arthur. Here, why don't you two introduce yourselves to each other?"

Window cleaner nodded his head as he turned to Arthur. Slowly, Arthur held out his hand—did he? He didn't even know anything anymore—and gulped, "A-arthur K-kirkland," he stammered.

Window cleaner grinned as he walked over to Arthur. Taking his hand, window cleaner pulled Arthur close to him, "Alfred F. Jones, pleasure to finally meet you."

Leaning even closer to Arthur, Alfred's deep voice slowly enunciated, "Say, how about we go to the jeweler's shop after the café?"

"W-what?"

Alfred leaned back and grinned, "You said you would marry me if I became the CEO of J.W. Corp. And you told me you don't go back on your promises."

Arthur blinked before letting out a small laugh, "I did, didn't I?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summertime is when I'm most inspirational. Hopefully, I'll finish my next story and publish it here soon, too.


End file.
